Introduction to Crafting
Adventurers commonly acquire powerful weapons, armor and equipment by claiming their just reward for defeating treacherous opponents and completing dangerous quests. However, another completely valid-and at times much less dangerous-method is to simply create them yourself through crafting. Through this process many different kinds of items can be created, many of which are not available for purchase from NPC vendors.
The base process involves learning a particular form of crafting, of which there are six in Aion: weaponsmithing, armorsmithing, handicrafting, tailoring, alchemy, and cooking. You can learn all six crafting professions, but you can be an Expert in only two.
Any item that can be crafted is actually composed of several individual components, or materials. You can either learn which materials you need for a particular item automatically or via purchase of the design. Generally these materials must be purchased from vendors or from other players, gathered out in the wild (via collection or extraction), crafted already, or morphed. Not everything can be crafted, however.
As you craft items you build up crafting level in that particular field. The higher the level, the better the items you can learn and craft. The Work Order, a specific type of quest, is also available to help you build up your crafting level. Note however that the only places where you can craft items are within the crafting halls of the capital cities (Pandaemonium and Sanctum).

Crafting Professions
Weaponsmithing: With this ability you can create many forms of melee weapons, including swords, Daggers, Polearms, Swords, Greatswords, and Maces. Also includes the ability to work with some metals.
Armorsmithing: The ability to create all types of Chain Armor and Plate Armor, as well as helmets and crafting materials made from metal.
Handicrafting: This allows you to create Staves and Bows (generally things made of wood), plus a variety of accessories such as Necklaces, Earrings, and Rings.
Tailoring: This allows you to make Cloth Armor, Leather Armor, and Belts.
Alchemy: Unfortunately this isn't the art of turning lead into gold (not yet anyway), but instead the art of making magical items: Orbs, Spellbooks, Potions, and Scrolls.
Cooking: Adventurers live on their stomach, and with Cooking you can feed them nicely. Of course, Food and Drink isn't just nutritional, but can quickly restore health and mana as well as give other abilities a temporary boost.

Crafting Process
1. Learn the Crafting Profession: For a fee, you acquire a Crafting Profession from the Master in the capital city.
2. Learn the Design: Learn a crafting Design that instructs you how to make an item.
3. Collect the Materials: Collect the Materials that you need, based on the Design.
4. Start crafting with a Crafting Station in the appropriate Workshop: Click the corresponding Crafting Station in the Master's Workshop, then begin crafting items.
5. Success! You obtain the item when the crafting process is complete.